Michele Bachmann and the Media

I was not going to write about the decision by Michele Bachmann not to seek re-election to the House next year.  It is not a big deal in my opinion.  Her seat is likely to stay Republican, and I doubt she will disappear from the political scene.  Then, I read some of the stories in the mainstream media about the Bachmann departure, and I feel complelled to comment.  Did you know that Bachmann is insane?  That seems to be the consensus view among the mainstream media outlets.  I first got that message from Yahoo News.  They did not bother to mention why they think Bachmann is crazy, but that did not stop the name calling.  I noticed that when Jay Rockefeller retired, Yahoo did not call him and his millions elitist.  I also noticed that when senator Levin of Michigan announced his retirement, Yahoo did not call him senile (although a better case could be made for that than for Bachmann being insane.)  No the name calling was reserved for an intelligent woman who was not afraid to take on the media and to stand for what she believed in.  That is why they call her crazy.

I never much liked Bachmann.  Certainly, when she was running for president, I thought she was not even in the first tier of candidates.  Nevertheless, Bachmann clearly knows her own mind and is not afraid to set forth the basic principles on which she relies.  Her knowledge of foreign affairs is much broader and deeper than most in Washington.  She deserves respect for her service and admiration for her abilities.  Instead, she gets mud slinging from the media.

It's just wrong.